NEWS BLOG (WSAU) I did something dumb last night. Two things, actually. I left my wallet in the mini-van. I left the mini-van unlocked.

And early this morning, thieves were at work in our neighborhood. They’d gone through several parked, unlocked cars… including mine.

I apparently scared them off when I work up early this morning, because they left my wallet behind. But they went through the glove box. And they left behind in my vehicle the leftovers from other break-ins, including a neighbor’s purse and another neighbor’s address book. It was around 4am when my wife and I called the police.

The likelihood of ever catching the car thieves is very low. Wausau police were professional. They took notes, looked around the area, and gathered the evidence. They contacted the other people whose cars were broken into.

And I feel like a crime victim… frustrated, violated, and angry. Yes, I’m partly at fault. Leaving my car unlocked was careless. Leaving my wallet behind was forgetful. And I’m lucky that my wallet was left behind, and that I’m not spending my free time today cancelling ATM cards and getting a new drivers license. But what I’m struggling with the most is reconciling my thoughts that Wausau is a low-crime community, and the conflicting reality of this morning.

Chris Conley
Operations Manager-Midwest Communications, Wausau
4.13.10